Previously On...
Muskaan tells Rahul she still loves him.
Trigger Warning - This chapter contains talks about physical abuse. Nothing major, but it shows evidence of physical abuse and the after effects of the same. If you're uncomfortable, please skip where indicated and read a short summary at the end of the chapter.
Track 33 - Warrior, Demi Lovato
When Tamanna woke up the next morning, she was surprised to see Armaan sleeping in her room. She looked at the clock and was even more surprised to see that it was almost 10am. Armaan never slept in so late. But, then she realized that he must have been really worried last night, if the number of missed calls she had was any indication. Of course, that's the reason why he was sleeping in her room, too.
Tamanna smiled and shook her head fondly. Armaan was so overbearing at times. But, he loved her so much and did the things he did only because he was worried, which was why Tamanna cut him some slack. Poor dear was already so worked up over the impending nuptials and the fact that his baby sister would be leaving him. Again. Forever this time.
Wanting to cheer him up a little, to make him smile, she decided to play a prank on him. One that he'd played on her countless times. She stealthily crawled across her bed, to the foot, where Armaan was resting his head. She placed her lips, right on his ears, and then, shrieked, "AAAHHH!!!"
Startled by the sudden noise, Armaan woke up, screaming himself.
He looked around, confused, and saw Tamanna cackling.
"Hahahahaha... That... Hahaha... That was so... So funny! Hahahaha... You shouted so loud!" Tamanna cried out between laughs.
"Tamanna ki bachchi!" Armaan shouted. "Tujhe toh main dekh lunga."
And thus began their game of chase. Laughing loudly, Tamanna rushed down the stairs with Armaan hot on her heels.
"Tamanna! Wait! I'm not gonna leave you today! Aisa koi karta hai kya?" He shouted while running behind her.
Tamanna immediately hid behind Riddhima, who was standing nearest to her. Armaan tried to stop himself in time, but wasn't able to and ended up falling down taking Riddhima, and in turn Tamanna, with him.
"Owww!" Tamanna yelped. "That hurt!"
"Good!" Armaan replied. "Tere saath aisa hi hona chahiye!"
"Hawww!! Meanie!" Tamanna cried.
Armaan just stuck his tongue out at her, the mature adult that he was.
"Uhh... Would... Would you please move?" Riddhima asked timidly.
Armaan was so close. Closer than he'd been in years. All she really wanted to do was hug him tightly, hide in his arms and never leave. Being in his arms always gave her a sense of security like no other. She hadn't felt it in 8 years now. And, she so desperately wanted to.
But, seeing him get so worried about Tamanna last night had been difficult for her. She'd never ever seen Armaan get so worked up over something so small, ever. It was just a nightmare! Yet, he'd been so worried, despite knowing where Tamanna was, till he'd seen her in front of his eyes. It just showed how deeply he cared about Tamanna, how important she was to him. The fact was a little hard for her to accept, because somewhere, she felt that Tamanna had taken her place in Armaan's life.
She'd seen just how similar her and Tamanna were, in so very many ways. They both dressed in simple Indian clothes, both of them a little meeker and more soft spoken than their friends, both of them stubborn headed and ready to fight for what they believed in. Yes, they were pretty similar. So, was it such a far fetched idea that the new girl in Armaan's life was a reflection of her in so many ways? No, not really. Armaan had always been vocal about how much he loved her, how he wouldn't ever be able to love someone as much as he loved her. So, it made sense to her that when Armaan found someone again, she was like Riddhima.
Armaan was startled at her voice and looked around, finally realizing the situation he was in. His legs were completely entwined with Riddhima's and her hands were sprawled across her chest.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Armaan exclaimed and hastily got off the floor, helping Riddhima up too. She turned to leave and felt a tug on her dupatta.
Well, really, it was a tug on her heart as she lost herself in memories. How many times had this happened in the past? She thought. Countless and countless. And, it still sent her heart racing, even after all these years. He was never wrong when he teased her saying, "dil dupatte mein because as far as he was concerned, it was. Her dupatta had always brought them closer. And, she loved that.
She turned back to see Armaan holding his hands up in surrender, like he always used to, to show her he wasn't up to any mischief with her dupatta. It was stuck in his watch.
The familiarity of the scene was not lost on either of them. How many times had it happened, that after sharing a close moment together, Riddhima had pulled away, only to find her dupatta stuck in his watch or a button of his shirt? Many more times than she cared to admit. Everytime, Armaan would have an accomplished smile on his face, happy to steal a few more moments of togetherness with her before they went their separate ways. He would always be purposefully slow in detangling the cloth because he would be much more interested in staring at her and making her blush.
But, today, no such thing happened. Armaan gave her a small smile, which she took as sign of his onslaught of nostalgia and quickly set the dupatta free.
"Sorry," they both muttered at the same time, feeling highly embarrassed.
Riddhima looked up at him and lost herself in his eyes for a moment. His were still the most beautiful pair of eyes she'd ever seen. Always twinkling with mischief, shining with love and happiness, those eyes had made her forget all her worries and woes a lot. Today, they still did, even if they weren't shining on her like they used to.
"Uh, will someone please help me up?" Tamanna asked, breaking Riddhima out of her trance.
Armaan bit his tongue. "Sorry, Tammy!" He exclaimed, immediately pulling her up.
He was feeling a little dazed. Today, the way Riddhima was looking at him, it was the way she used to, before she got married. When they were still together. The look that used to send shivers down his spine, but still warm his heart. Armaan had forgotten how good it felt when she stared at him like that, like he was loved, like he was wanted. Not many people before Riddhima had made him feel that way, even without saying the words. It'd only been his Jaan and on the off chance they'd had an emotionally charged conversation, Nikki. He supposed that maybe Bua Maa and Dadi looked at him that way, too, but he was too young then, to understand these nuances.
"Why were you running around the house so early in the morning? Creating such a ruckus?" Rahul demanded. His mood was a little sour ever since Muskaan had spoken to him. He felt mad at himself for not giving in, and mad at Muskaan for bringing it up so many years later. He was so very afraid. For the first time in so many years, the life he'd so desperately dreamt about was in his arm's reach, waiting to be his if he only had the courage to grab it. But, he didn't. And he hated himself for it even more.
"It's all her fault!" Armaan cried out immediately, pointing a finger at Tamanna. "She shouted loudly in my ear and startled me out of sleep."
Tamanna smirked. "It was so much fun!" She exclaimed. "You shouted so loud!"
Seeing her laugh, Armaan forgot about all his anger. She was happy. That was all he ever wanted for her. Seeing her now, his heart leapt in joy, happy that she was happy. He'd promised her, and himself, that he'd never let anything bad happen to her again. And he was happy that he had at least managed to keep that promise so far. He hoped that he would be able to do so for the rest of their lives.
Rahul smiled, looking at Armaan who waa gazing intently at Tamanna. He knew that Armaan was extremely worried. Heck, he himself was, after what Armaan had told him last night. They'd all seen how vulnerable and frightened Tamanna had been when Armaan had brought her home for the first time. He didn't want things to be that way again.
It had taken Tamanna years to get to where she was today. Rigorous therapy and medication, to let herself believe that she didn't deserve the way her so called in - laws had treated her for years. But, she was finally out of that swamp. And now, they were out and threatened to shatter her resolve, her progress, her happiness, all over again. But, Rahul wouldn't let that happen. Never again.
He wasn't just worried about Tamanna, either. He was worried about Armaan, too. Armaan was really close to all this. He'd witnessed it all. Seeing all that he had, had made him entirely too sensitive to the issue. He still did have nightmares, like he had last night.
It had caused Armaan to relapse, seeing Tamanna the way he had. His panic attacks, which were steadily reducing were immediately triggered after that night. In fact, they started getting worse. But, seeing what he had, Rahul couldn't fault Armaan for reacting so strongly, either. He couldn't imagine what he would have done in such a case.
"Chalo! Freshen up, both of you! It's time for breakfast," Rahul said after sometime. Armaan & Tamanna nodded like little kids and immediately went upstairs to get ready.
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What waited for Armaan when he came downstairs a few minutes later was not something he was expecting. Not so quickly at least.
Aniket was standing in the hall, beside Sid, while Karan was restraining Rahul from hitting him as the rest of the house watched. Adhiraj was leaning a little behind, smirking smugly.
Armaan was actually stumped. He literally didn't have an idea as to what to do now. This man and his family had been the source of horrific pain to Tamanna, his Tammy, for years. She'd been so afraid when she came home, she'd jump at her own shadow. She would tremble at the slightest touch. She absolutely, completely, never ever ever opposed anyone in the house, even if she didn't agree with them and was quick to do anything and everything to please them.
It had taken all of them, along with Tamanna's therapist, years to bring her out of her shell. To make her understand that she didn't deserve it, like she'd believed before that. Today, Tammy was a confident and successful woman and Armaan couldn't be prouder.
Seeing those two, standing in front of him, in his house, in Tamanna's home, made his blood boil. Hadn't they already caused enough pain to last a lifetime? What did they hope to achieve, coming here? Did they think they could get to Tamanna again? No way! Never. Never on his watch!
He rushed down the stairs and unceremoniously punched Aniket in the face, feeling his nose give. Good. That fracture would take weeks to get better. And his nose would always be crooked.
He hadn't hit anyone in years, not since he'd promised Jaan that he would never fight, ever again, especially not with his fists, but seeing that man just made his blood boil. It made him want to punch something. No, it made him want to punch that man's face. And so, he did.
Armaan had been trying really hard to not let his anger get the better of him, to not get involved in physical fights, but he decided that Jaan wouldn't mind him hitting this sorry excuse of a human. And, even if she did, he couldn't bring himself to care about it.
"Who let this piece of garbage inside my house?" he asked the room.
Everyone was standing still, absolutely surprised at what had happened. First Rahul and now Armaan, both had reacted so badly to seeing Aniket, the man Sid assured them was Tamanna's husband.
"Uh... Arm... Armaan... He... He's Tamanna's husband, right?" Atul asked, the only one brave enough to talk in this situation.
Armaan scoffed. "Husband? This animal? Yeah, right!"
"An... Animal?" Atul asked, shocked.
"Haan, Champ. Actually, animal is too tame, don't you think, Rahul? He's f**king shit monster!" Armaan thundered.
Turning to Aniket, he smirked and asked, "Tell me, asshole, does your parole officer know you're violating a restraining order on your first day out of jail?"
Aniket looked visibly pale at the question.
"What? You didn't think that I'd take precautions?" Armaan questioned. "Tamanna is never getting in your filthy clutches again!"
"Look... Dr. Mallik," Aniket finally spoke, "I deserve all this. And more. I know. But... I just... I want to apologize. Nothing else. I swear."
Rahul scoffed. "Yes, apologize! After almost killing her, you're just going to apologize, like it's going to make everything better?"
"Dr. Grewal, I know what I've done can never be forgiven. It's the ultimate sin. But, at the end of the day, I'm also human. Don't you think I deserve a chance?" Aniket asked.
Rahul shrugged Karan off harshly and walked up to Aniket, holding him by his collar. "What did you call yourself? Human? What you've done crosses the limits of monstrosity, f**ker. You're not human! And don't you f**king test our patience. I swear to God, I will kill you with my bare hands if you don't leave right now, even if I have to spend the rest of my life in prison!"
"Rahul!" Tamanna's voice echoed in the house. "Let him go."
Everyone turned to look at the staircase, to see Tamanna descending, a determined look on her face.
"Tammy!" Armaan saix, shocked. "Go back upstairs!"
"I'm not going anywhere, Maani." She said. "Rahul let Aniket go. Now," she commanded, turning to Rahul.
Listening to the fierceness of her tone, Rahul let go of him and stepped back and stood beside Armaan. Both of them eyed Tamanna warily, not sure if they should stop this from happening or let it play out the way Tamanna wanted to.
With each step that Tamanna took towards Aniket, Armaan's chest tightened as he was assaulted with memories of that night, almost 4 years ago. He clutched at it, rubbing his hands up and down, trying to calm himself down, but it didn't seem to work. Rahul, sensing his unease, immediately took hold of one of his hands and squeezed tightly, rubbing circles on the back of Armaan's hand, trying to calm him down. Armaan shot him a grateful smile, conveying his gratitude.
But, he was surprised when he felt an arm around his waist and turned to see Nikki stepping up beside him and hugging him sideways. She'd always done that. Ever since his first anxiety attack, years ago, when he was in college. Nikki had been there when he'd had it and she'd hugged him tightly in an attempt to calm him down. It hadn't been really effective the first time round but Armaan had appreciated the thought and it had made him feel better, knowing his best friend was there for him. So, she'd continued doing it and slowly, her hugs had been enough to help him calm down, even if only a little.
Today, having both of them at his side in this situation meant more to Armaan than he'd ever thought possible. Nikki and Rahul, two people who'd helped him in ways he couldn't even describe in words.
Tamanna came to stand in front of Aniket and the entire house waited with baited breath, none of them even sure of what they were waiting for. Armaan had half a mind to send them all upstairs to give Tamanna privacy, but he seemed to be rooted on the spot, incapable of any kind of speech. Plus, he figured that if something happened, it would be better if everyone was around.
"You have something to say?" Tamanna asked roughly.
Aniket nodded mutely, taken aback by how confident she seemed, standing in front of him and demanding answers.
"Then, talk!" She spat.
"Tam... Tamanna Ji, I... I'm really... I'm really so... So... Sorry! What... What I did was... I... So... I'm... I... It was completely reprehensible. It was monstrous and animalistic and just about the worst thing I could have done. I shouldn't have. I'm... I'm really sorry," Aniket blubbered, unable to construe proper sentences in the moment.
"Sorry?" Tamanna scoffed. "That's it? You think one apology is enough to fix it? To fix this?" She asked, moving her hands to lift the hem of her kurti.
"Tammy! No!" Armaan cried desperately.
Tamanna looked back at Armaan and smiled. "It's okay, Maani. You were the one who'd said that I shouldn't be ashamed, remember? My scars are beautiful, because they're proof that I survived it all. Isn't that right?" She asked, her voice soft and soothing.
Armaan nodded helplessly. He'd said that. And he believed it too. But, those scars were also a reminder of what Tamanna had gone through at the hands of her husband and his family, for years, and that fact made him want to wretch.
Determined, Tamanna lifted her kurti to show an ugly blemish on her stomach. A deep cut that had been stitched back, leaving in its wake a dark scar. One, that would never go away.
Armaan gasped and his head in Rahul's shoulder, who'd also closed his eyes, not wanting to see the tangible proof of what Aniket had done to their Tamanna. Vaguely, Armaan could hear the gasps of everyone in the house. He felt Nikki remove her arms from around him and panicked for a second, but breathed in relief when he felt her arms around him again. She'd moved a little so she could hug Rahul too. Armaan smiled despite himself. Nikki was the best best friend ever. He'd missed her so much.
As a choked sob escaped Jaanhavi, who never wanted to witness the physical manifestation of what Tamanna had gone through, she felt arms wrap around her and looked up to see Shilpa and Karan both hugging her on either side. She smiled at them hesitantly and they smiled back, hugging her tighter and forming a protective cocoon with her in the middle.
"You think a sorry is going to fix this?" Tamanna asked, pointing to her scar. "Or this?" She asked, lifting the right sleeve of her full sleeved kurti to reveal another scar. "Or this?" She turned around to show another cut on her back.
With each question, Rahul shut his eyes tighter, tears leaking from his eyes as Armaan's head dug deeper in his neck. Jaanhavi was full out bawling by now. Shilpa hugged her tighter as tears streamed down her face too. Hiccuping, Jaanhavi buried her face in Karan's chest, who pulled her closer with one arm and used the other to pull Shilpa in, in a way that he was now hugging them both. Shilpa looked up at him in gratitude but he shrugged her off and kissed the top of Jaanhavi's head, and then hers, trying to comfort them in anyway he could, despite the storm inside his own body.
They were all so protective of Tamanna, knowing how difficult her life had been before Armaan brought her home with him. She'd been through hell and back and everyone just wanted her to leave it behind, get better, and live her life happily, the she was supposed to.
Now that she'd succeeded in doing so, seeing the man who had been the cause of everything bad in her life made it difficult for them to stand back and watch, but everyone realized that this was something that Tamanna needed to do on her own. So, they took a step back and let her do it, offering their silent support.
"Tell me, Mr. Aniket Samant, is one apology enough to negate this?" Tamanna asked, looking at him with fierce eyes that seemed to spit fire. "Or the pain you and yours gave me every single day for 2 years? Is it enough to wash away all the taunts, the curses you hurled at me? Is it enough for me to forget about all the times you or someone from your family hit me? Or when you blamed me for anything and everything wrong that happened? Is it enough for me to forget the two years that I lived in constant fear of my life? Do you think it's that easy? That one simple apology, after 4 years, will be enough for me to move on?"
With every word that she spoke, the temperature in the room seemed to drop and a feeling of dread filled in everyone's stomach as they realized what exactly was going on. Of all the things in the world, nobody had imagined this. Correction, they didn't want to. No one wanted to think that Tamanna had been abused.
Aniket was stumped. He stumbled at the ferocity in Tamanna's voice, the fire in her eyes, the hatred in her stance. She'd never ever questioned him about anything. Ever. She'd always been the quiet, shy, meek wife and daughter in law who was always eager to please her in laws in any possible way.
But, was it who she really was? Or had getting married to honour her father's wishes, leaving her entire life behind for him only to be abused by him and his family made her that person? Frightened, jumpy, scared, timid and meek. Those were the words he'd used to describe her in the past. But now? Now she was brave and strong and fierce and unstoppable and stunning.
"I... I..." He tried to say something, but came up empty, because there was nothing he could say to make it better.
"That's right. You can't say anything. Because what you've done is unforgivable. There is nothing you can say or do to make it better, Mr. Samant. So, don't even try. I hate you," Tamanna declared. "I hate you with every fiber of my being. And I'll hate you till my last breath. You'll never have my forgiveness. Never."
"Tamanna Ji..." Aniket whispered, aghast.
Tamanna laughed humourlessly. "Don't... Don't try to call my name with respect, because clearly, you've never respected me as a person, a normal, living, breathing human, who deserves some basic human rights. So, don't try this. In fact, don't take my name with your filthy tongue, ever again. And, don't come in front of me for the rest of your life, because the next time you try to approach me, I'll not hesitate in reporting you to the police. After your previous record, I'm sure they'll be very happy to have you back in prison. This time for good."
Aniket gaped at her, not knowing what to say.
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"I told you, Aniket. It was no use coming here. This ungrateful little cow! Happy now?" Adhiraj asked.
Sid looked at Adhiraj, his eyes blazing. He didn't know what exactly had happened, but it was clear that these two men had tried to kill Tamanna. His Tamanna. The love of his life. And, Sid wasn't going to stand around and watch as this filthy man cursed her yet again.
Without conscious thought, Sid punched him in the gut. Then again, and again, and again, and again, till that man was coughing blood all over the floor.
"Sid! Leave him!" Abhi exclaimed, restraining his brother. "Chod de, Sid. He'll die!"
"Achcha haina, Bhaiya!" Sid shouted. "He needs to die for what he did to Tamanna!"
With some difficulty, Abhi and Yuvi managed to pull Sid away.
Armaan pulled away from Rahul & Nikki, tears still shining in his eyes, and grabbed both Aniket and Adhiraj by their collars. "Leave. Now. Don't you even breathe in Tamanna's direction again. I swear I'll kill you!"
And then, they were ceremoniously thrown out of the house. Tamanna, who'd been standing strong with her head held high, jerked. Armaan immediately wrapped his arms around her, supporting her, but Tamanna's knees gave out and the two of them slid to the floor, with the only thing that could be heard in the house being Tamanna's gut wrenching sobs.
xxx
Basic Summary - Aniket, Tamanna's ex - husband comes to see her. It is revealed that him and his family used to abuse Tamanna. After 4 years, Tamanna finally confronts him.
The chapter also talks about how this whole incident affected the others (Armaan, Rahul, Jaanhavi), but especially Armaan. And how they all support each other as they see Tamanna finally standing up to the man who brought so much pain in her life.
Adhiraj is Aniket's brother and Tamanna's ex - brother - in - law.
Um, so this was a heavy chapter in some ways. And the next one is going to be on similar lines though we'll have more of AR there. It will come with warnings just like this one, in case you want to give stuff a miss. :)
I hope you guys liked the chapter, even though it was a bad one. It really took me a lot of effort to write this and still make it look authentic, so please, please, please comment and let me know how you felt about it. :)
In good news, exams got over yesterday, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to update more frequently, but I'm not making any promises yet. :)
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